New tone mouthpiece



March 25, 1958 H.- c. HEiSKELL 2,8

mew TONE MOUTHPIECE Filed Oqt. 19, 1955 fl'er zeri CUYeiskeZL INVENTORBY 7 1 I ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O NEW TONE MOUTHPIECE Herbert C. Heiskell, Joplin,Mo. Application October 19, 1955, Serial No. 541,479 2 Claims. (Cl.84-398) This invention relates to a novel new tone mouthpieceparticularly adapted for use with a wind instrument.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel new tone mouthpieceof the kind to be more particularly described hereinafter havingelongated longitudinally extending air passages therein, the air comingout of the mouthpiece being deflected into smaller passage or passagesat the same time the air passes through the center bore of themouthpiece and is introduced into the instrument.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mouthpiece for brassinstrument players having different ideas of tone quality.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will behereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in theappended claims.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a mouthpiece whichwill provide a different tone quality as desired, and one wherein agreater range is possible.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a novel new tone mouthpiece constructedaccording to an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the restricted end of the mouthpiece.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a primary form of my mouthpiece.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation form of my mouthpiece.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a modified form of my mouthpiece.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the left end of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of another modified form of myinvention.

Fig. 8 is a transverse section, Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal section, partly broken away, of yetanother form of this invention.

Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the mouthpiece shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly broken away, of thislatter form of my mouthpiece.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken on line 12-12 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 13 is an end elevational view of a mouthpiece equipped with aflutter thread.

Fig. 14 is a sectional view through the inner end of a mouthpieceequipped with a flutter thread.

This novel mouthpiece forming the subject matter of the presentinvention, results in a tone somewhat different from the tone resultingfrom a conventional form of mouthpiece.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown amouthpiece 10 having a conical body 21 with a tapered bore 22 extendingthroughout the length thereof. One end of the body 21 is somewhat morerestricted than the other for insertion into the instrument, while ofthe end of the primary taken on line 88 of the other end is radiallyextended to form a lip cup which is engageable with lips of a personusing this improved mouthpiece as a wind instrument.

The tapered bore 22 is formed with a restriction 24 intermediate thelength thereof spaced from the flared end 25 which is engageable intothe instrument and spaced from the lip cup 26 remote from the flared end25, as clearly noted in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Further the mouthpiece 20 has a longitudinally extending tonal passage27 which opens at one end into the lip cup 26, intermediate the lengththereof, and into the bore 22 between the restriction 24 and the flaredend 25.

By the use of a mouthpiece constructed according to an embodiment of myinvention as shown in Fig. 3, the air from the mouthpiece may beconveyed to the horn through the mouthpiece being restricted by thetonal passage 27 and the restriction 24 in the bore 22.

The numeral 3%) indicates a valve that is mounted in the end of thecurved tube 30 that communicates with the mouthpiece ill and extendsinto the bore 22 at a point beyond the inner end of the passage 27. Apair of somewhat similar body sections 32 bolted together by screws 34extending transversely thereof and screws 35 also extending transverselythereof are spaced longitudinally from the screws 34. The tapered bore36 having the restriction 37 formed therein intermediate the lengththereof and adjacent to the restriction 37 is pro vided With a smallarcuate tonal passage 38. The forma tion of the tonal passages 38 and 39embody grooves in the meeting sections of the mouthpiece providing passageways in the body sections 32. A valve 32' is mounted in the passage38 and controls the passage of the tone through said passageway 38.

This modified form of my invention is clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6 ofthe drawings, as may be clearly understood by viewing such drawings.

Upon reference to Figs. '7 and 8 of the drawings there is shown anothermodified form of mouthpiece designated generally by the referencenumeral 44, such mouthpiece being forrned with a conical body made up ofa pair of body sections 46 each one having a half of the tapered bore 47therein and a portion of the restriction 48, the body sections 46 beingheld together by a longer transverse screw 49 and a shorter transversescrew 50 with both of the body sections 46 being provided with a tonalpassage formed somewhat as the stepped passage 4'1 as illustrated, and aspiral passage 47' in the other of the body sections 46.

In Figs. 9 to 11 there is shown still a further form of mouthpiececonstructed according to an embodiment of this invention, the lattermentioned mouthpiece being designated generally by the reference numeral51 of the drawings. The mouthpiece 51, shown by Fig. 9, is formed of asingle body 52, as the first form of this invention this body having abore 54 extending along the length thereof and a head 55 extendinglongitudinally from that portion of the body 52 which is engageable withthe lips of the person using such mouthpiece.

The head 55, constructed of soft rubber, is secured tov the end of thelip engaging cup of the mouthpiece by screws which also extend through ametal washer 57 resting in a recess of the mouthpiece and engageable between the head 55 and one end of the body 52 of this mouthpiece. Thisform of mouthpiece is provided with longitudinally extended inclinedtonal passages 58 which extend diagonally of the mouthpiece from insidethe lipcup to the bore 54 spaced outwardly from the lip cup, as can beclearly shown or known from a view of Figs. 9 to 11.

It might be further stated that a resistance burr 35" 3is-secured-withinthebody section 32 better shown by Fig; 5 of thedrawing to which the thread 33' is secured, the thread 33' beingconnected to the thread 36 that extends transversely across the innerend of the mouthpiece and towhic'n'the threads'37 are connected thethreads being asshown,-of various lengths. These threads flutter at theinner end'of the mouthpiece when the instrument is being played,producing an unusual fluttering noise.

Ainouthpiece, constructed according to any and all embodiments of thisinvention, provides for a conventional-longitudinally extending borehaving a tonal restriction intermediate the length of the bore thereinand a small tonal passage or passages between the end of the inside'ofthe mouthpiece cup restriction and spaced laterally from the centerbore, diagonally inclined, as shown.

While the specific details of one embodiment of this invention have beenherein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto, aschanges and alterations may be made without departing from the spiritand scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A mouthpiece for a wind instrument comprising a tubular body formedwith a bore extending longitudinally therethrough, one end of said boreand body being flared, said' bore being contracted at a point adjacentthe inner end of said flared portion thereof, the diameter of the '4here increasing towards the forward end of said mouthpiece, and saidbody having a longitudinal passageway establishing communication betweenthe flared end of the bore and the central portion of the bore, and avalve for controlling the passage of air through said longitudinalpassageway.

2. A mouthpiece for a Wind instrument comprising a body having a boreextending longitudinally therethrough, one end of said body and one endof said bore being flared providing a mouth-engaging end, said bodyhaving a plurality of passageways establishing communication between theflared end of said bore and intermediate portion of said bore, and avalve mounted in at least'one of said passageways for controlling thepassage of air r from the flared end of said bore to the intermediateportion of said bore independently of the passage of air directlythrough said fiared end of the bore.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

